The Stolen Child I started to get, but my mother I haven dealt with yet

Untitled Part 13 and 14

It was now six months since Jamie had had the dream about the woman, the birth of her child and the encounter at Saint Thomas's Hospital that had forced her to run. She and her friends were now a type of fugitives running from something that they did not know by name or reason. They now were at a farm some miles down the road from Hastings. A well situated complex that was not to far from the channel, a watery crossing that could be made to France if the situation would ever present itself and the complex laid close enough to Hastings. Hastings presented them with the ability to be able to be seen and yet not be seen, it gave them anonymity. Especially in the older and more rural area. This area had proven to be a welcome area for tourists because of the smuggler's den and the caves. In this particular part of Hastings there were enough shops to buy the basic necessities however it was not the kind of place where the mainstream inhabitants would regularly go. The threesome had embarked on an adventure at the farm....a self sufficient community as Mike liked to call it. Everybody who was willing to work and wanted a place outside of, what he called The Slavery System, was welcome. Mike and Jerry had met years prior at a college that specialized in IT Technology.

Jamie, Emma and Jerry lived as a family unit with Sam in a small cottage adjacent to the barn and the main house. It was agreed that Jamie and Jerry would pose as a married couple with their son Sam. Emma was Jerry's sister and she lived in with them to help out because Sam was handicapped. Mike had told the other members of the commune this story because it was the most logical and the story would raise little to no questions from outsiders, leaving them without suspicion to go about their business. They also changed their names, Jamie changed her name to Joe or Johnny, whatever people at the farm or outside felt a fancy to call her by. Jerry went by the name Jerome while Emma chose for the name Evie. She worked both as a nanny and as a teacher on the farm. Because of Jerry's background with computers he would work most days with the other 'Nerds' who busied themselves with the international / national news and hacking into government and non government systems. As for Jamie and the rest of the women and men on the farm, they were responsible for the gardens, oosting the vegetables, baking bread, making jams, canning the veggies and keeping the households up to scratch.

Jamie had adapted fairly well into the routine and structure of living on the farm and working in a commune, a community. She had however, since the memory of the rape been stripped of all peace of mind. The memory had ripped a deep wound open. A ripe in the wall she had built to protect her mind since she was a child. The walls had protected her from her memories of the events that had transpired over the course of her youth. The memories and emotions now came streaming back into each and every of her pores, with a vengeance. Her dreams at night were restless and troubled, combined with senses that shot off alarms of angst, deep rooted angst. The angst would some nights squeeze her throat and body to the point that she would wake up gasping for air or doubled in pain because of extreme muscle cramps in her limbs. The sadness was so deep in her, it felt many times as if it would crush her. Other moments she would find herself without air, breathing was difficult, she would throw up because the nausea was so unexpected and overwhelming. It was difficult for her eat, although she willed herself to be practical....for Sam's sake and the others. It would do no one any good at this point for her to become sick. So, she ate to nourish her body's care, her vehicle, but she did not like to eat. Jamie's struggles had not escaped Jerry or Emma notice. They were careful not to ask too much, keep their distance when Jamie drew herself back into a deep quiet and comforted her when she would wakeup gasping for air and crying. Sam on the other hand, clearly enjoyed their new life. He had noted a change in his mother's demeanor. However he was calm and found distraction while exploring and enjoying life on the farm. He would sit on a blanket in the garden while the other members of the commune would go about their business. Jamie often caught Sam with his arms up in the air screaming with delight and she knew that in these moments, Nora and Winfield were keeping an watchful eye on their favorite little man. She was grateful for their presence, although, neither Nora or Winfield had made their physical presence known to Jamie since their departure from Herne Bay. Jerry and Jamie had agreed to sleep in separate bedrooms but would keep up the appearance of a young and loving couple to the outside world. Sam slept with his bed in Jamie's and Emma's room. Their life together had not really changed much from the one that they had been leading in London, except for their location and vocations. Mike, Jerry's friend would come to the cottage regularly, to talk to the threesome. He and Jerry had given themselves the task of locating the source of their dilemma, who or what it was that was hell bent on finding Jamie....and why.